Billboard: The Weeknd Earns His Fourth Week at No. 1

The xx (I See You) settle for the no. 2 spot while The Weeknd (Starboy) secures a fourth nonconsecutive week at no. 1 on the Billboard 200.

The Weeknd has taken advantage of an ice-cold January. Starboy tops the Billboard 200 for a third consecutive week and a fourth nonconsecutive week overall. The numbers aren’t earth-shattering, but earth-shattering isn’t necessary. 61,000 units were enough to secure the no. 1 spot again, better than 15,000 units more than the next album.

The album following Starboy hails from The xx, who secure the no. 2 spot with I See You. I See You performed respectably, moving 46,000 units. Of that total, 78% were pure sales. Interestingly, according to Billboard, the no. 2 start is the best for the collective, though they’ve sold more albums previously.

The rest of the top 10 is comprised of soundtracks and familiar names. The soundtracks include top-five efforts La La LandandMoana, and top-10 efforts Hamilton and Trolls. The familiar names and releases come courtesy of Bruno Mars (24K Magic), J. Cole (4 Your Eyez Only), Drake (Views), and the resurgent Post Malone (Stoney).

Who’s got next on the Billboard 200? John Mayer could impact with his new EP, The Search for Everything, Wave One. Furthermore, AFI dropped a new LP, AFI (The Blood Album). Other albums were issued as well, but none pack a surefire punch. Things should begin to truly heat up with the January 27 crop of new releases.

About the musical hype

the musical hype aka Brent Faulkner has earned Bachelor and Masters degrees in music (music Education, music theory/composition respectively). A multi-instrumentalist, he plays piano, trombone, and organ among numerous other instruments. He’s a certified music educator, composer, and a freelance music journalist. Faulkner cites music and writing as two of the most important parts of his life. Notably, he’s blessed with a great ear, possessing perfect pitch.